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Friday, May 31, 2013

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

"The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."

- Luke 16:10-17,18

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us the parable of the Unjust Steward. This is after giving several parables illustrating God's love for those who return, after the Pharisees complained that He dined with tax collectors and sinners. We read the parables of the shepherd with the missing sheep, and a woman with a missing coin. Jesus then taught a splendid parable which is unique to Luke's Gospel, that of the Prodigal Son. In yesterday's reading, He said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a
steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting
his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about
you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be
steward.' Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For
my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am
ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of
the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called
every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How
much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'
So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write
fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he
said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your
bill, and write eighty.' So the master commended the unjust steward
because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you,
make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail,
they may receive you into an everlasting home."

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." My study bible tells us that "faithful means trustworthy. It is essential for a Christian disciple to be trustworthy in small as well as in great things." There's also a respect for truth implied here: it seems one has it or one doesn't. So many things rest on this.

"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" A note tells us that "true riches" are spiritual treasures. But let us regard this word mammon and what it tells us. Literally, my study bible says, in Aramaic it is wealth. But it's also a Semitic term that gives us the meaning of "the treasure we put our trust in." In other words, there's a challenge here. What is it we ultimately believe in? What is it we choose in our hearts to trust in? It leads to Christ's question here: if you haven't been faithful to your belief in material wealth, then who's going to trust you with something far more precious?

"And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?" My study bible says that "what is your own implies one's own property. If one is not trustworthy in managing someone else's property, one can hardly expect to be given property of one's own." Yesterday's reading gave us the parable of the Unjust Steward; in some sense we are all stewards of the wealth entrusted to us by God and the life we've been given in this world. If we haven't been faithful in that stewardship, shall we be trusted with more -- the true riches of the kingdom?"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and mammon." My study bible tells us, "Ultimate loyalty cannot be divided. Life is devoted either to God first or riches first, not both."Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these
things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who
justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is
highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." My study bible tells us that "what is highly esteemed" presumably refers to money. "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom
of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is
easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law
to fail." The law the prophets, says my study bible, "represent the Old Testament period, ending with John the Baptist. Pressing into the Kingdom means earnestly seeking to enter into it." A tittle is a small punctuation mark in written Hebrew: my study bible interprets this by saying, "the smallest part of God's purposes behind His law will not fail to be accomplished." As He does so memorably in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus here is speaking of the fulfillment of the Law, not a deviation from it.

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and
whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." This verse is listed "separately" because Jesus is introducing a new law here, a new teaching. My study bible tells us: "Jesus, teaching the permanence of marriage, lays down a new rule, a standard of life in the Kingdom." It's important to think about this "rule" in the context of the reading. First of all it indicates the standard of human relationships: they denote something deeper than material gain or possession. While a woman had a highly difficult life if she was divorced, divorce was simple for men. In this way, divorcing a woman was similar to ridding oneself of a possession that was unsatisfactory. Here, Jesus lays down a different standard, and it goes along with whether or not we trust in God or in our possessions. It's a different way of looking at what the Kingdom asks of us.

Let's think about today's reading in the light of Jesus' final teaching, about divorce. Marriage is always significant to Christ, because it is a deeply holy institution. It is one in which there is an inclusiveness of equals: two people who become one flesh. Therefore the significance of the way in which a woman would be treated in a marriage takes on a different character than the way we think of this in more modern times: the proclamation here is one of love and inclusiveness and equality -- to truly love another as oneself, and not as a possession. In this sense, Jesus' proclamation of this standard of love in marriage is an elaboration in keeping with His declaration that one cannot love God and mammon, and that if one is untrustworthy in the one, he or she will also be untrustworthy in the greater riches, those of the kingdom. It's a different way of looking at relationship, and at what is in the world that we have to choose to manage one way or another. It all boils down to how we see, and what we love, and perhaps best put the way Jesus does it: in what we trust. As we have often noted in this blog, the Greek word for faith is rooted in that for "trust." When we have faith in something, we trust in it. And we can't ever forget this meaning; it's too significant, too clear and too potent for us to forget that this is what faith is all about. So, what do you put your faith in? Faith or trust in wealth, in material riches and possessions, really puts us in a particular frame of mind, the ways in which we will look at the world and at all the people in it, in all of our relationships. But faith -- trust -- in God and God's laws implies an entirely different way of relating to the world. In this view we are clearly stewards of all the gifts given us, including the relationships that God has given us, and as such we must "manage" them in a particular way, one that reflects the values of the Kingdom, and not just a material perspective alone. It is in this way that Jesus criticizes the Pharisees and their uses of the Law, the customs of the time to which He objects: life isn't just about material reality, but there is so much more. To love God, to trust in God, is to trust in God's ways, to see things a certain way. Therefore whatever we have in life is managed by His grace, by the perspective of trust in the Kingdom. Our integrity is truly at work here, and its measure -- in one choice or the other.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

- Luke 16:1-9

In yesterday's reading, we were first given again the setting: All the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear
Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man
receives sinners and eats with them." And then the reading gave us Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son, a parable unique to Luke's Gospel. Jesus said, "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said
to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to
me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after,
the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and
there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had
spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be
in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country,
and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have
filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave
him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired
servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I
will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be
called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' And he
arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off,
his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and
kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against
heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your
son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and
put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And
bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'
And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to
the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants
and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother
has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father
has killed the fatted calf.' But he was angry and would not go in.
Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and
said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I
never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave
me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon
as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with
harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' And he said to him, 'Son,
you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right
that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a
steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting
his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' " My study bible tells us that a steward is "a manager of a wealthy man's household and property. He is called to give an account because he is being dismissed, as his master no longer trusts him." A steward is someone who oversees a household or great estate, even that of nobility. The estate is not his; it is his to manage properly; he's entrusted with another's goods.

"Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master
is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to
beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the
stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every
one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do
you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he
said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A
hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and
write eighty.' So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly." My study bible says that "the steward is unjust in his actions, which are not condoned, but his shrewdness is praised. This is meant as a lesson for the sons of light, the Christian believers, who ought to be as shrewd about their pursuit of godliness as unbelievers are about their businesses."

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon,
that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." A note here reads: "The reference to unrighteous mammon is a warning about the dangers of money, which can corrupt. The right use of wealth is to make friends among the poor and needy by sharing it with them. At death, these poor friends will be the first to welcome their benefactor into the eternal Kingdom."

A steward, as we wrote above, is a person who manages another's household, their goods, the wealth of (presumably) a large estate. As such, it's an important position, one upon which a wealthy landowner or property owner depends. Perhaps a modern equivalent for a modern economy is in some sense a manager of a company; the owners may be the shareholders, but it's the manager's duties to run the company well, to oversee. Here the manager or steward is accused of squandering the master's goods. He seems to have lent out quite freely (in this economic system based on lending of goods). But in order to settle the accounts, he doesn't call the the debtors into prison or penury. Instead, he closes the books with favorable terms. Rather than complaining, the master of the house praises him for his shrewd dealings. He's come to an agreement, and closed out the outstanding debts. In this sense, the books are now balanced and the "firm" is ready to move on. So why isn't the master more upset over his losses? Let's consider the parable another way: when we pray "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" we're essentially giving our books to the owner, and looking toward the future. Whatever ways we're to handle those debts, we give up our own understanding and seek that, instead, of the ultimate Owner, of God. In this sense, we are all stewards of whatever we have in life, whatever we're given as a gift of the Creator. In this same sense, there are ecological movements among some church members (the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church is known as "the Green Patriarch") in which this notion of steward is taken to apply to the whole of the earth, to all the beauty and natural resources entrusted to us by God for good management. In this sense, it's important that we understand that the term steward, as a kind of metaphor for each one of us, doesn't denote ownership. Everything we have is a gift; therefore we are to think of "good management" in all things. So when we pray, "forgive us our debts," we're actually talking about a cosmic economy, if you will, in which the owner of all things is the one to whom we turn for real justice, for a true way of managing the books. Our sense of this is limited. God's economy -- and God's justice -- may not work the way in which we think it does; we simply may not have all the "facts." Therefore here Jesus is encouraging us to understand life as more than a kind of balance sheet based on what we feel that we are owed. It's perfectly consistent with the prayer that He has taught us, the Our Father. It's consistent with His teachings on Judgment, in which it's really a kind of economy mediated by God that we are to be concerned with -- not one in which we are concerned solely about what we think we are owed by someone else. It's a grand sort of exchange system, in which all goods are really owned by the Great Owner, if you will, not by us as individuals, and it's up to us to consider what that really means and how it impacts each of us. How do we use our relationships we're given? How do we manage them? How do we use our talents? Our resources? Our gifts given us, no matter what they may be? In this grand economy, we're only the stewards. But the steward's job is ultimately of great importance. The owner is counting on us, and counting on us to manage shrewdly and well, and in His interests. So let's think about that when we make our choices, our decisions; everything should be mediated by the Master's call, His ultimate take on our "books," and what God calls a good balance, a great profit, a trade. Let us consider His Way.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

* * *

Then He said, "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

"Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

- Luke 15:1-2,11-32

In yesterday's reading, we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear
Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man
receives sinners and eats with them." So He spoke this parable to them, saying: "What man of you, having a
hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds
it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors,
saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was
lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not
light a lam, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?
And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors
together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I
lost!' Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear
Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man
receives sinners and eats with them." The lectionary begins today's readings with the verses from yesterday's, so that we are set in the place and time in which today's parable is told.

Then He said, "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said
to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to
me.' So he divided to them his livelihood." My study bible says of the parable of the Prodigal Son, "This parable, perhaps the most magnificent of all parables, occurs only in Luke and illustrates God's unconditional love and forgiveness for the repentant sinner." It also tells us that "the father fulfills the request of the son out of profound respect for his freedom, and he lets him go for the same reason. God neither holds nor pulls anyone by force." I think the concept of freedom here is essential for us to understand; it is love that is in operation. Nobody is compelled but comes to God through response to love.

"And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together,
journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with
prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine
in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to
feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods
that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything." My study bible tells us, "Condescending to feed swine, unclean and despised animals to Jews, is an act of utter desperation." The pods are carob pods. If we look carefully at the words "prodigal living" we get a sense of wastefulness, but much more than that. The real root of this word translates literally as something like "unsaved." In other words, an absolute loss, the wasting of a soul, of a life.

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired
servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I
will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be
called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' And he
arose and came to his father." My study bible says, "Extreme need brings the prodigal son to his senses, but what draws him homeward is probably his father's love."

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." My study bible says that "the father's tender actions show he never ceased looking for the return of his son, just as God always longs for the return of every sinner to His forgiving embrace. In Jewish culture, it was considered undignified for an older man to run, but that did not stop this father." Meeting him "on the way" and embracing the son by falling on his neck and kissing him is like a symbol of Christ, who is sent into the world to retrieve, to meet us, who runs toward us with love, as He has been sent.

"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in
your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the
father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him,
and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the
fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my
son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they
began to be merry." A note tells us, "The father does not censure the contrite son, but celebrates his homecoming as of one who came alive from the dead. The symbolic significance of the robe is righteousness (Is. 61:10), the ring (a signet ring) is family identity (Hag. 2:23), and sandals refer to walking according to the gospel (Eph. 6:15)."

"Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to
the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants
and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother
has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father
has killed the fatted calf.' But he was angry and would not go in.
Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and
said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I
never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave
me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon
as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with
harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' And he said to him, 'Son,
you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right
that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is
alive again, and was lost and is found.'" My study bible notes: "The father also has to deal with the resentful older son and does so with the same gentle loving kindness shown to the younger. By contrast, this son shows a pharisaic attitude of self-righteousness and contempt for his brother, much like a Church member who does not wish to be bothered with visitors or new converts."

I think it's important to recognize the symbolism of the signet ring. It is a ring that bears the family crest; therefore, the family name. A king's or a royal house of any kind would use such a ring for authenticating documents or even property as belonging to that house. Therefore the ring takes on great significance, because this "son" is "in his father's name" -- of the family in the deepest sense, despite his profligacy; that is, the great loss incurred through wasted time, wasted life, a soul that loses its nourishment for growth and sustenance. This is what it means to be a profligate in this deepest sense here, and what it means to be so loved as to be restored to full membership in this house, in love. The question of restoration becomes one of true family, where the father is willing to bestow all that he has out of the joy of the return of what was lost. So again, as in the previous two parables from yesterday's reading, we get a sense of return, a return home. It's important, because in our own lives and perspectives we may not understand that when we turn to God we're not just going there for the "first time," even though this may be our perspective. From God's perspective, we're returning home, we're turning back so that what was lost is found. And that's where we are, and where we're greeted -- as something precious that was lost, a place empty that is now being filled. So how does love greet you when you turn in prayer? None of us are exempt from this place; at least I know there are times I "forget God" and must draw back. The parable -- as I see it -- covers each of us. Remember when you pray you are always "back home," and this is the love that welcomes your return. In this sense, the fullness of this house is all of our fullness, one more welcome should make each of us joyful.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

So He spoke this parable to them, saying: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lam, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

- Luke 15:1-10

In yesterday's reading, we were told that great multitudes went with Jesus. And He turned and said to them,
"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his father and mother, wife
and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he
cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come
after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a
tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough
to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able
to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to
build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war
against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is
able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty
thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a
delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you
does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men
throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear
Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man
receives sinners and eats with them." My study bible tells us that "mealtime fellowship with tax collectors and sinners was considered to be defiling for pious Jews." So, it's not a situation where Jesus is simply having something to do with these people and paying them attention as followers, but rather a defiling act, a sort of contamination.

So He spoke this parable to them, saying: "What man of you, having a
hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine
in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds
it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors,
saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was
lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over
one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no
repentance." My study bible says, "Joy in heaven for the repentance of each sinner is the main theme of this chapter. Jesus connects repentance with joy, not sadness." Jesus teaches, "I am the good shepherd" in John's Gospel. But Luke here gives us a particular angle on repentance, on the return of even one lost sheep out of one hundred. It is the illustration of what has been lost and now is found. Somehow the finding of the one that was lost creates a kind of preciousness made by love.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not
light a lam, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?
And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors
together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I
lost!' Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents." The great joy in heaven that Jesus speaks us tells us something not only about the gift of human faith and its connection to God, but also the power in one act of repentance. If even the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents, then we must understand how carefully we each are thought of, how deeply we are truly loved.

Jesus makes palpable in today's reading, the great longing and love of God for those who stray or are far away. The impact of these parables isn't about someone who has always been gone, but rather one that for certain came from a "home," a particular place of belonging, and has strayed, or has been lost. It is a kind of longing that makes particularly joyous the return of this thing, this person, who has been gone, who has strayed or been lost. It's a love made potent or powerful through the retrieval of what was thought to have been lost. If we think about it, it tells us a great deal about God, about heaven. Does God feel such a longing for each of us? Do the angels feel the loss of one human being, so that a triumphant shout of joy is the result of one who returns? This is a powerful understanding of God's love, and of what it really means to return or to repent, to come back to find God's way, the ways the angels would have us return to their places, to union of assembly with them. So it is with the sinners who sit at table with Jesus, and His great love for them. It doesn't matter where they've been; what matters a great deal more is the joy in heaven over their return, to have them back together at the assembly where we are among the communion of saints, where we worship together with the angels. I don't think there could be more effective parables illustrating the longing and love of God, the true worth of one single human being, the great joy in heaven over each one of us just because we return. When you come to God, consider Jesus' parables, how much we are loved, and what it means to return even a single human being to this love. Perhaps then we will understand "right-relatedness" with a true depth befitting God's mission to us in the form of His Son whom God sent to reclaim, reconnect, and heal, so that the joy in heaven may be truly boundless.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

"Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Luke 14:25-35

In Friday's reading, we were told that Jesus was invited to the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath. There, they watched Him very closely. He asked, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Saturday's reading gave us further events at this Sabbath meal. He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or
supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich
neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be
repaid at the resurrection of the just." Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things,
he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of
God!" Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and
invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who
were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with
one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have
bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have
me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I
am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another
said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that
servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master
of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the
maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it
is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master
said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel
them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that
none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If
anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be
My disciple." My study bible tells us: "God has commanded man to love and honor, not to hate his father and mother. the word 'hate' here represents a Semitic expression used in reference to ultimate commitments. A follower of Christ works for loving relationships toward all, but his commitment to God carries absolute priority over family ties." Let us also note that St. Paul tells parents not to provoke children (see Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4), and that Christ Himself extends the statute against murder to include provocation through name-calling (Matthew 5:22). Before all other relationships, God calls us to live life in a certain way, and gives commands regarding how we are to live those relationships to one another, and even to ourselves and our own lives.

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My
disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit
down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it --
lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all
who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was
not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another
king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten
thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or
else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation
and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not
forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." A note here reads: "Jesus gives several examples of what it means to carry one's cross, the cost of discipleship. To be a disciple means to count the cost, and pay it." The word for disciple means "learner" or "student" in the Greek. As disciples, we watch the Teacher, we learn from His life as He lived it, how He lived it, and this is how we count the cost. Jesus is giving us, in a sense, "barriers to entry" (to use a term from economics) -- what are those things that prohibit us from discipleship? There are certain things that give us this capability, requirements for the capacity to be His students.

"Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be
seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men
throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" My study bible says, "To recover lost flavor, the true quality of discipleship, is not easy. without it, a disciple becomes as useless as salt without seasoning power." The word my study bible uses here, seasoning "power," is an important word for us to consider. When Jesus speaks of being unable to be a disciple, the root word He uses here for ability denotes "power" or "strength." The potency of the salt is what is important, even essential, for it to perform its task and be worth something. So, as salt, Jesus is asking us to consider our potency, our ability for the task, the strength of commitment to discipleship, as His students.

There are many things that we can see in today's reading, many ways to view what it means to be a disciple, many things to think about. But most of all, what strikes me today is Jesus' emphasis on our own strength or capability. The commitment really has to be "all in." As disciples, we look to His leadership and we have to think about what it means. Certainly His life was committed to this Kingdom. What He had to do He did to please God the Father about the way He lived His life, the commitment He made, the people He took as disciples and trained and sent out as apostles. In each of His healings and miracles, Jesus is careful about how He lives His life in the world, because it is through how He lives that He teaches us what is God-like. And this is what we take as potency, capability, commitment. We don't have to do all the things that Jesus did to be like Him. But we do have to take in how He lived His life. First and foremost is the love of God, and this regulates all else that we have. This is our real strength, that teaches us the how and the what of how we are, in turn, to live our lives. Each one of us cannot be a duplicate of the other, we are not all the same "what." But we do look at the how, at the love of God, the commandments about relationships, discipline, and ultimately justice, to learn what it means to be "like God" and to do likewise. In this way, we become His disciples. It is in His "how" that we count the cost, and make sure we have the ability -- with His help!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

- Luke 14:12-24

In yesterday's reading, we read that as Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the
Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.
And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And
Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But they kept silent. And He took him
and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, "Which
of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not
immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" And they could not answer
Him regarding these things. So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they
chose the best places, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone
to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more
honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him
come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with
shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit
down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may
say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the
presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts
himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then He also sad to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or
supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich
neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when
you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.
And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be
repaid at the resurrection of the just." My study bible tells us that this "story of God's compassion toward the poor appears only in Luke. To share hospitality with the needy is to imitate God's love which welcomes the lowly into the banquet of His Kingdom." But elsewhere we read of a similar idea of exchange: in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says to someone has has already followed all the commandments of the Law, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven." Elsewhere, He teaches, "When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." There is a kind of exchange that occurs in His way of thinking, and at all times this exchange is at work, so that we who keep in mind this Kingdom of heaven, are always at work somehow within it and within its sphere and influence. In this kind of exchange, the things we do for others -- particularly for those who are left outside, who cannot do for themselves -- are loved by God.

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things,
he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of
God!" My study bible tells us, "This is an inspirational, although little-known, beatitude. The purpose of life is to join in the sharing of bread in the kingdom of God, a partaking of the eternal love of God." The theme continues of the power and the immediacy of this kingdom, the promise of the eternal life that intersects worldly lives through faith.

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited
many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were
invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one
accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought
a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me
excused.'" My study bible says of this parable that it "exemplifies God's Kingdom, imaged in the ministry of Christ and later in the Church. The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses." In this first example, we note the busyness of the world, the things with which we are occupied, what we put first. If it "blots out" the urgencies of the kingdom, the things which we are to keep in mind through all things in our lives, then we err in our own judgments and priorities.

"And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.'" Again, it is business that takes priority over what we put first, here. It reminds us of Jesus' comparison regarding healing on the Sabbath, and the value put on the farm animals over human beings, in yesterday's reading, and also the reading from Tuesday. We consider our values, what we place value on, and how we prioritize.

"Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'" This example is also about worldly affairs, but those of the social sphere, worldly relations and institutions -- even that of family does not come first. It doesn't mean that we don't do all these things, that we aren't concerned with them: but it means that the priority of the Kingdom in fact gives us a higher consideration, one that places all else in relationship to it.

"So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the
master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly
into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and
the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master,
it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master
said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel
them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that
none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'" Here, as my study bible put it, is the denouement of this parable: "The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive
privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses." The message is very clear: what we think we have, what worldly position would tell us, is in fact something that can get in the way of our ultimate good, a true understanding of life in all its facets -- including its most important ones. The "poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind" are those who haven't put all the worldly things first, who haven't got the concerns and obligations of those with more possessions and worldly affairs; they are all those who are in some way "without" in a worldly sense.

Again, we see the "exchange" of the Kingdom. Those who haven't got worldly affairs and obligations that get in the way of the things of God are rewarded in a much greater way through this exchange. But I feel that we cannot take these passages out of context; we must view them in the context of the Gospel, and especially that which comes before it. So let us take a look at Jesus' continual pleas in this Gospel: repeatedly we have heard Him ask what is lawful on the Sabbath: "To do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" He compares the value put on farm animals, those things which generate wealth, to the apparent lack of value, in practice, put on the healing (and unbinding) of human beings. So we have to take these parables into the context of the Lord's doing, the things of God: and healing takes on more cosmic proportions. We heal ourselves, and our society, through putting this Kingdom first. The worth God sees in the poor and the maimed, the lame and the blind -- those who in His immediate time and place of the Incarnation, and also in most of the world today, cannot generate wealth and worldly possessions on an equal basis to those who are not in some way doing without -- is repeatedly emphasized by Jesus. This is God's vision. It's not about what we have, it's not about what the world prioritizes, but to see with God's sight is to put a proper value on all things and on our fellow human beings, and what this community should be in God's sight. The message is that if we have our priorities straight, we will come to view life in a light that teaches us different things than a worldly outlook would dictate; the bottom line is what we value and the skewed priorities that a material outlook create. Who has what, and what calamities or misfortune may befall others, are all misleading ways to see and to judge in a total sense. The healing comes from our priorities in God's Kingdom, what comes first. It's a plea for the true value of human beings, and the capabilities inherent in faith, that would teach us right-relatedness in all things.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Luke 14:1-11

In yesterday's reading, we were told that some Pharisees came, saying to Jesus, "Get out and depart
from here, for Herod wants to kill You." And He said to them, "Go and
tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and
tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' Nevertheless I must
journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a
prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the
one that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is
left to you desolate, and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me
until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name
of the LORD!'"

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the
Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. My study bible says, "The Pharisees again exemplify a paradoxical, cunning combination of interest and suspicion. They receive Jesus for a meal and yet watch to catch Him as a lawbreaker." In yesterday's, reading, some Pharisees warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill Him, and telling Him to therefore leave Galilee. It's not clear precisely what the intentions are; Jesus also responded by calling Herod, "that fox."

And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And
Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it
lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But they kept silent. And He took him
and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, "Which
of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not
immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" And they could not answer
Him regarding these things. This question repeats itself again and again and again in Luke's Gospel: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? It takes us to the central question of the law, and our relationship to God: to what purpose is the Law? Earlier, in chapter 6, Jesus asked, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" In the previous chapter (chapter 13), we read of Jesus healing the woman bent over for eighteen years on the Sabbath in the synagogue. In that reading, He said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or
donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this
woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it
-- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" Here we again get the comparison to the working animals, valuable because of the commodity and wealth they generate. We might also ask, "Is the Sabbath made for man or man for the Sabbath?"

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they
chose the best places, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone
to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more
honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him
come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with
shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit
down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may
say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the
presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts
himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." My study bible tells us: "This parable of good manners, found only in Luke, contrasts the virtue of humility with the vice of self-exaltation. Compare James 4:6: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" We can also read this as a veiled warning to the important people at the feast. He's at the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees. Whose place is the lowest and Whose place is the highest? How does one know who might be at that feast? It's not just a plea for humility, but tying in to the healing -- in which the value of farm animals by practice is placed higher than that of a human being (and contrast this especially with the "daughter of Abraham" in the reading mentioned earlier from chapter 13) -- and we have both a veiled warning and a plea for the true measurement of the worth of human beings. In this light, humility is a kind of state of grace, a place of safety, a way to walk in real righteousness.

Again in today's reading, Jesus goes to the comparison: why is it lawful to save a farm animal, one that gives wealth and work, on the Sabbath, on not a human being? We have contrasted a sense of value: which one is worth more? Are we looking with God's sight or with man's? And how does the law of God come to be used and viewed this way? In Christ's plea for mercy for fellow human beings is also the plea for true sight, a way to see things as they are, a coming down to earth of what is real and what is not. In this light, His advice on humility or humbling oneself is also the light of wisdom. How do we know another's true worth? If we judge only by self-centered values, we're not seeing what's really there, who might be seated at the table with us. Therefore there' s a warning here to these men who would be great, in positions of authority: don't take for granted your own place. A humble attitude is more sure to provoke true sight and vision, and great honor, true wisdom. Those who are puffed up with authority come in for an awful beating in the Gospels. Jesus' doesn't tear down the offices and the structures of the time: rather it is the attitudes, the security in their places, this veil of smugness and certainty that He tears away. In all things, He teaches us to truly see, to value as things really are valued, to give the perspective that God reveals about what is worthwhile, and what is not. What is the value of a human being? For God so loved the world that He gave us His Son - that human beings might have eternal life through faith. This is how we must see real healing. When we forget our Creator, we lose our own true worth, the worth of human beings, and the sight with which we are capable of seeing the world.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate, and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Luke 13:31-35

In yesterday's reading, Jesus teaching, and He asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I
compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his
garden and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air
nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is
like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till
it was all leavened." And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying
toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are
saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When
once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you
begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open
for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where
you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your
presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I
do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers
of iniquity.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,
and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west,
from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And
indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be
last."

On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." My study bible tells us that "this warning of some Pharisees may well be sincere, or it could be a cunning way to get Jesus to Judea so they could enforce their authority against Him. Herod Antipas imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist." Herod was the ruler of Galilee; Jerusalem is in Judea, governed by Pontius Pilate.

And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons
and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be
perfected.'" A note tells us that "Jesus does not mince words in calling Herod fox for his sly craftiness. Perfected refers to the completion of Jesus' mission through His Passion and Resurrection in Jerusalem. He has nothing to fear from Herod." This word for "perfected" in Greek has the meaning of perfected, but its root is "finish" or "fulfilled," meaning "to the end," "complete." Nothing will jeopardize Jesus' mission.

"Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for
it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem." My study bible tells us, "Jerusalem, the center of religious authority, often was the site of the judgment and persecution of God's prophets. Jesus speaks with prophetic irony here.""O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one that kills the prophets and stones those
who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not
willing!" Of this verse my study bible says, "Jesus' tender lament and judgment over unrepentant Jerusalem show He loves His adversaries as we are to love ours." It's a statement about rejection, and yet a willing love on Jesus' part, a longing to care for those who are His children.

"See! Your house is left to you desolate, and assuredly, I say to you,
you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He
who comes in the name of the LORD!'" My study bible says that "the time referred to is Palm Sunday, when Jesus will be acclaimed at His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem."

There is such a deep lament here in Jesus' words about Jerusalem. The implication is that He's been watching over Jerusalem for many years, for centuries -- that is, over the Jerusalem that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. Who has sent them? Was it Christ who wanted so often to gather Jerusalem's children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, they they were not willing? This is the implication in the verses. And desolate the city is left, and all Christ does is lament! Our choices are important; they may have devastating effects upon our lives, and yet it is our freedom that is the most absolute part of ourselves. Christ Himself does not interfere with this, but rather implores with love, and repeatedly sends prophets and saints, and those who tell us of God's word. The welcome, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" is the one that will be shouted upon His welcome to Jerusalem, at the beginning of Holy Week, the start of His Passion, and death and Resurrection. This welcome is the welcome of the Messiah, and yet it is the end of His mission into this world. Those who would be His children now are those by adoption. In chapter 8, Luke tells us that Jesus teaches, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." So we may become children by adoption, through faith. Jesus' life, teaching, Passion, death and Resurrection are for this: that those who would be gathered under His wings may come from everywhere, simply by faith. Let us remember His great grace, this gift that reaches to all of us. Are we willing?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."

- Luke 13:18-30

Yesterday, we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And
behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,
and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus
saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her and immediately she
was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and
he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work;
therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The
Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you
on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away
to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom
Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from
this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His
adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all
the glorious things that were done by Him.

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I
compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his
garden and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air
nested in its branches." My study bible tells us that "the mustard seed is tiny, but the plant grows to a height of about 10 feet in Palestine." I truly love this parable of the mustard seed, for various reasons. If we examine it, we see that the word for birds is one that more or less means "winged." It gives us a kind of image of heavenly things, like angels, to speak of the birds of the air. The "air" is the same word for sky, οὐρανός, which is also the word, in Greek, for heaven. Finally, to "nest" is κατασκηνόω, to encamp -- or rather more literally to dwell under, to "pitch one's tent." It is the same root used in John's Gospel, when we are told that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The word here for dwell is to "tent" or more clearly, to "tabernacle." So it is with the winged ones of the air in the parable of the mustard seed; the great tree that grows is the place under which they can tabernacle, find a place in its branches. So, in some sense, this tiny mustard seed becomes something which can grow and spread, with branches sturdy enough to shelter, to tabernacle, all the beautiful gifts of God and messengers of God in the world. A nest is also for producing offspring, in analogy, fruits of the Spirit. This is a timeless gift.

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is
like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till
it was all leavened." My study bible says that "a small amount of leaven inevitably penetrates the entire dough. Such is the power of the Kingdom." In the first parable of the mustard seed, we're told of the explosive power of growth and continual "reproduction" in this Kingdom, the study branches under which good things can dwell, can "tabernacle." In this parable we're given to know the inward and powerful nature of this Kingdom: with one measure it can leaven the whole of the lump; its inward growth is complete and powerful. It's not only the "light shining in the darkness" (John 1:5), but with welcoming, with a little kneading, it illuminates the whole room. This is a leaven that pervades and changes and transforms the nature of the entire whole. As we know, leaven or yeast brings air, causes a rising and growth of the dough!

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying
toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are
saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." My study bible tells us that "the narrow gate is a path to salvation marked by Jesus' teaching on discipleship and its cost." A life of discipleship is a life of prayer, studying the Master through relationship.

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and
you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord,
open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you,
where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in
Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell
you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you
workers of iniquity.'" My study bible teaches that "Jesus says I do not know you because they are workers of iniquity. If a person is not abiding in Christ, neither verbal confessions ("Lord, Lord") nor previous experiences with Christ will be of any avail at the Judgment." As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, and His "exodus" from this world (see the reading on the Transfiguration), He brings up Judgment more frequently in this Gospel, and gives us palpable and concrete ways in which we are to think about it and be aware of it. Familiarity is not enough. Now is the time to look to who we are and what we do, the quality of our discipleship.

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and
yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from
the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed
there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be
last." My study bible tells us that "people of humble faith from all parts of the earth will join together in God's consummated Kingdom. Those who vainly think themselves secure because of honored status will be last."

As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, we get so many warnings about the time of His departure, and warnings about His return. Many people would like to discard notions of judgment, thinking that in Christ's mercy all is forgiven. But the Gospels teach us something important about this notion of judgment and that is our personal responsibility for the gift we're given. It's not something to take for granted. Rather it's something to be aware of each and every moment of every day. We look to our own behavior. We can't take it for granted that we're "saved" because we're a part of the right group, because we've heard the teachings before. But how does this warning about Judgment tie up with His teachings on the Kingdom? Well, there's a very important emphasis here on the fruits of the Spirit, on the effects of what that Kingdom is and what it does. Elsewhere Jesus teaches that "by their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:16). And earlier in Luke's Gospel, we've been told by Jesus, "A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather
figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A
good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an
evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For
out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." And in that earlier reading, in Chapter 6, Jesus also makes mention of those who call Him "Lord, Lord" but who fail to do the things He says, and praises the one "who hears His sayings and does them" as one who builds his house upon a rock. The warnings about Judgment really teach us what it is to know Him, to really be disciples, to be His students. It is through relationship that we are capable of following what He teaches, of becoming ourselves like those great trees whose branches can shelter the birds of the air and their nests, of being like the woman who's willing to do the work of kneading the dough, and leavening its whole with air, the air that is another meaning of the word for Spirit. Let us take seriously His emphasis on humility, the last who will be first, and the first last; it's when we think of our positions too highly, when we take this gift for granted, that we are liable to forget who we are, and Who our Teacher is, how He humbled Himself for this Kingdom. Let us remember who we are, and Who He is. He was about His Father's business -- and so must we do likewise.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

- Luke 13:10-17

We were told in yesterday's reading that here were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus
answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such
things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise
perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed
them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who
dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all
likewise perish." He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in
his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he
said to the keeper of the vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come
seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it
use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone
this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears
fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'" See The fig tree.

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And
behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,
and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. Let us take a good look at this woman: a binding, an infirmity and affliction for eighteen years. Jesus calls her out of the crowd, seemingly No one has prayed or asked Him to help her, but He spots the woman and calls her to Him. He lays His hands on her, a healing by touch. Immediately she is straight and glorifies God. It is similar to the story with the healing of Peter's mother-in-law: she was immediately up and about her work. When this woman is able to be upright, straight, she is in her "right place" and glorifying God.

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus
had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days
on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and
not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said,
"Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or
donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this
woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it
-- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" My study bible tells us, "Acts of help toward others on the Sabbath were considered work and were forbidden, except in life-threatening situations. Jesus notes that if animals needing water were cared for on the Sabbath, certainly a woman of Israel could be delivered from Satan's bondage on the Sabbath." Jesus teaches us what kind of Liberator He is. In the reading from this past Saturday, Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of demons. He taught then, "When a
strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.
But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes
from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." He spoke as the "Stronger Man" and in His role as liberator He expresses here what that means; it is ultimately to heal. The woman "standing straight" is a clear symbol for correction, restoration, the "right way."

And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame;
and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were
done by Him. Here the multitudes respond appropriately; everyone can see the sense of what He does and says. As often happens in His confrontations with the leadership, the common people are pleased to see His victories.

What do we make of this story in today's reading? It is quite unusual. This woman doesn't ask for help, doesn't come up from behind Him as the woman who touched the hem of His garment. She's not a public sort of figure as was the widow of Nain who mourned her son. No friend brings her to Jesus. But instead, He is in the synagogue and picks her out of the crowd, because of the intensity of her affliction. She is literally bent over and cannot be straight; but in redeeming her from her affliction which bends her over, Jesus restores her position in the temple, and she glorifies God. This is a great and powerful metaphor for healing, on all levels that we can receive it. As Liberator -- and the language in this story is very much a "liberating" kind of talk -- Jesus is here to free us from what afflicts us. Our reconciliation and salvation -- our restoration -- are found in His healing. I read an interesting article lately on the nature of the Persons of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). It said that we know God not by "what" God is -- for we can't know that, this is a mystery beyond our understanding and capability. Rather, through grace such as the healing witnessed here, we know "how" God is. We see in this gift of this story what God is "like" -- because we see how Christ is in the world: His liberation is one of mercy, of a desire to heal and to restore, to take away affliction, and to give us capabilities in turn to be "like Him." His liberating mission is to relieve us from what binds us, in all sorts of ways. This is "how" Jesus walks in the world, in the revelation of God to us through His incarnation as a human being, and this is "how" we know what it is for us to grow in God-likeness, to be "like Him." Let us remember that healing and liberation are synonymous, and that His plea here is for a kind of mercy that people know, but that abstract concepts and rules can get in the way of. Does it make sense that farm animals are cared for in a way that expresses their value, but that human beings are not? Let us remember the Liberator and what He teaches us; from His "how" we learn "how" we are to be too.

Monday, May 20, 2013

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of the vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

- Luke 13:1-9

On Saturday, we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." My study bible has a long note: "These two historical incidents are reported in no other source except Luke. The slain Galileans were probably Zealots, Jewish nationalists who triggered some disturbance against the Romans in the temple area. The collapse of the tower in Siloam may have been simply an accident, rather than an act of sabotage, which people thought of as divine justice on sinners. Jesus passes judgment on neither group. He only registers these tragic events to warn that, unless His listeners response to His message and repent, they would all likewise perish. Perish may have the double meaning of both physical and spiritual death." The word here for "perish" is one that indicates a kind of absolute death or destruction. It emphasizes more the judgment of God, the loss of life in fullness of that meaning. It tells us of complete destruction.

He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of the vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'" My study bible tells us that "here Luke gives his account of the fruitless fig tree. It is spared from the curse, at least for a time. In the Old Testament the fig tree symbolizes Israel, which receives God's loving care in the expectation of a fruitful harvest. Three years probably represents the three-year ministry of Christ. Because of the pleading of an unknown vineyard keeper, the Master allows additional time for true repentance and fruitfulness before judgment occurs." Here Jesus emphasizes spiritual judgment again, and its connection with our own (and Israel's) spiritual fruitfulness.

There are strong messages regarding judgment in Jesus' teachings in today's reading. First of all, what we see with our eyes is not the be all and end all of judgment. When we see tragedies befall people around us, we can't simply use that to understand judgment at all, because, Jesus implies here, there may be all kinds of people who are perfectly comfortable but for whom the lack of repentance or "change of mind" really indicates a similar judgment they simply can't see nor taste. The lectionary has skipped over chapter 12, but there Luke gives us Jesus preaching to the disciples against hypocrisy. He tells them, beginning in verse 4, "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" The great emphasis here is on the spiritual death that comes from a failure to bear spiritual fruits. The warnings against hypocrisy teach us too: you can't go by appearances. The appearances of this world, the horrible things we see happening to others, the tragedies we may view, don't really tell us the full story and they don't tell us about the full judgment. So we can't judge those upon whom tragedies fall, as if somehow they are "worse sinners" -- but our job is to look to ourselves. Jesus' messages here about judgment, and the parable of the fig tree, all point to one thing: that if we want to truly think about death, then we must look to ourselves and to our own spiritual fruits. Whatever scandalizes us, whatever makes us afraid, ultimately there is one place we should look toward, if we want real security, and that is in ourselves. His teachings in chapter 12 against hypocrisy (which He calls "the leaven of the Pharisees") make this very clear. Again and again, our gaze must turn back to ourselves, our focus must be on our own repentance, the things we need to do to bear spiritual fruit. St. Paul says that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). Let us remember that these are the things which must concern us, when we turn from tragedies which scandalize us, when we seek what we think must be the judgment on others. We can't see fully into the future, into God's life, but our concern is our own fruitfulness -- and an awareness of what the spiritual life teaches us about real death, and real life in abundance. When we do that, when we shift our focus accordingly, we come to know our job is to clean up our own act, to mind our own business, and tend the tree of spiritual fruit. Where do you start today? This is a positive and optimistic picture: there is always something we can do, something positive we can be about. Let us remember that good focus!

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